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The Clan of R'lyeh
Clan Summary The Clan of R'lyeh a mixed clan (of both species and flights) that is located in a clearing that leads into a large cave high in the Focal Point. The clan is, overall, highly spiritual and worships all the deities. The Arcanist is, of course, the most revered. Aylith is the Clan Matriarch and Dythalla is the High Priest; the two are mates. History Dythalla and Aylith met in the Starwood Strand. Dythalla simply found himself existing in the woods one day, sent by the Arcanist to be alive for some reason, and after about a month of aimless wandering he met Aylith. Aylith had separated from her pack in search of something she couldn't properly describe. She met Dythalla soon after entering the Wood and initially stuck together out of convenience. Dythalla wanted to hear more about the world and craved some company while Aylith knew she needed a guide if she didn't want to get lost. Soon they decided to form a clan in the Crystalspine Reaches, each feeling like they had finally found a purpose. Rituals and Traditions The Clan of R’lyeh is very spiritual, and as such there are several rituals and traditions that are very important to all dragons of the clan. In the name of saving space and organization this information now has its now page Clan Members Clan Leaders * Aylith * Dythalla Ambassadors * Dhumin (Earth Flight) * Yaanek (Lightning Flight) * Yig (Wind Flight) * Cthaat (Water Flight) * Ithaqua (Ice Flight) * Cyaegha (Shadow Flight) * Kadath (Arcane Flight) * Nyarlathotep (Light Flight) * Eilor (Nature Flight) * Ruhtra (Fire Flight) * Baoht (Plague Flight) Other Jobs * Dygra (Jeweller) * Istasha (Alchemist) * Yidhra (Arbiter) * Ammutseba (Astronomer) * Lythalia (Hatchling Caretaker) * Seven (Healer) * Necronomicon (Scribe) * Apocolothoth (Nest Tender) * Raphanasuna (Treasurer) * Eibon As a spiritual clan, there are many important rituals and Traditions in R'lyeh Hatchings and Hatchdays A Hatching is a joyous occasion, though not exactly a rare one in this clan. While an actual hatching is attended by only a few dragons (the parents, the Matriarch, the High Priest, the Nest Maid, the Hatchling Caretaker, and the Healer). As soon as possible a hatchling is brought by Dythalla and Kadath to the Shrines to be presented to the Arcanist. Once this has happened other clan members will begin dropping by to greet the new hatchlings, occasionally bearing gifts. Note: Parents of a hatchling are often not much closer to their hatchlings than other dragons. It is Lythalia’s job to rear young hatchlings and honestly, it’s seen as everyone’s job to care for them. It takes a clan to raise a hatchling. R'lyeh celebrates Hatchdays, though the general celebration is for every dragon born that day. Friends and family will, of course, focus on their loved ones. A dragon celebrating their Hatchday can expect lots of food and some gifts. Courting and Mating In R'lyeh two dragons being mated and two dragons having a nest are separate events with minimal connection. Nesting is on a more darwinian basis within the clan. That is, dragons have nests based on the idea that they would make strong/smart/pretty hatchlings. Dragons mating purely for love. Courting Initially relationships are very casual. Flirting is common, two dragons might spend a lot of time together and happen to fall in love, etc. The ceremony comes in once a dragon has decided to form a bond, or Eriugumos, with another dragon. The initiating dragon amplifies and crystalizes their magic and leaves the crystal, called a pentima, at the home of their intended while their intended is not home. This has two purposes: to keep pressure off of the receiver during the deciding period and because ceremony dictates that once the crystal has been delivered the two dragons must avoid each other until the receiver makes a decision. One part of the decision revolves around resonance, the receiver will resonate their magic with the pentima as a compatibility test. The dragon who received the pentima has 11 days to accept or reject the offer. If they accept, they give back a pentima of their own making while if they reject the offer they return the pentima they were given. Provided the two have exchanged pentima the two next go to Aylith (the Clan Leader) for permission; this step is entirely symbolic as she has never said ino/i. Next, and more importantly, the two go to the shrine of the Arcanist and place the two pentima on the shrine. If they fuse then the match has been accepted and the Eriugumos formed, if they have not then the pairing has been rejected. Acceptance Once the pairing has been accepted by the Arcanist the two prepare vows that they will exchange in front of the clan. The actual ceremony at this point varies depending on species of dragon involved and individual personality. As soon as the vows have been exchanged, the dragons are mated. Rejection In the case of rejection the two dragons can request the presence of Dythalla (the High Priest) or Kadath (the Arcane Priest) as well as the priest of another deity should one or both dragons have been born to different flights. The priests will at this point lead the two into a long prayer that ends with meditation in which the two receive a dream explaining why they were rejected. If it is an issue that can be resolved then the two will work at it before trying again. If it can not, then that is the end of it. If a pair is rejected but tries to make a nest things will go wrong; they'll have awful luck, never be able to have any eggs, trouble sleeping, etc. The longer things go on, the worse things will get. When they decide to accept the inevitable they go to the High Priest and he will meditate and then tell them what they must do as penance. What they would have to do varies wildly and so has to be addressed on a case by case basis. There are very few mated pairs within R'lyeh, and none were rejected by the Arcanist. Song and Dance Raphanasuan is the clan’s Head Dancer and Tekelili is the clan’s Head Singer Dancing There are three main categories dancing: # Pair dances: which are generally highly energetic and done with other couples. These typically occur during celebrations or parties. # Group dances: which can be further divided into either ceremonial or informal dances. ## Informal dances are like pair dances with more dragons, think of a reel, and are also popular at parties. While fast-paced, these dances are the easiest to learn. ## Ceremonial dances are only performed at special events such as festivals or ceremonies honoring the Arcanist and Raphanasuan has trained all dragons in the clan in these dances. A dragon is specially chosen before hand to perform one of these dances, which are meant to honor or invoke the powers of the gods. # Performative dances: dances performed to entertain while also passing along certain moral stories or bits of history. They involve a lot of symbolic and stylized movement and clothing as most of the story is communicated through the dancers appearance and movement. Only certain dragons are willing to put in the time to learn these dramatic dances. Singing Correspondingly there are different categories of singing: # Accompaniment: this form of singing is paired with a form of dancing ## During pair dances the singers do not dance and can be found singing fast paced songs around the edge of the dancers, occasionally playing instruments as accompaniment. ## During group dances singers lead while everyone participates in the singing. ### During ceremonial dancers a chosen singer leads the singing and is always one half of a question/response pair with one of the priests. The ceremonial songs are very complex pieces. ## Most performative dances depend heavily on movement for storytelling but a singer always provides the accompanying music (typically vocals without lyrics) and occasionally some narration. Like a dancer, a singer wears stylized and symbolic clothing to help tell the story. # Ceremonial songs: These songs are simpler to organize than a ceremonial dance but serve the same purpose of honoring or invoking the gods and are only sung under special circumstances. # Performative songs: These dramatic songs are most similar to opera and are, like performative dances, used to tell a story. Examples Performative Dances and Songs The Winter’s War (Dance) * A dramatic piece that tells the story of an Arcane Clan and an Ice Clan going to war over a series of miscommunications and the tragic result. The Coatl and the Fae (Dance) * A comedic story about a young Coatl and Fae and the misadventures they get up to as a result of their different means of communicating Birth of the Arcanist (Dance) * A dance reenacting the birth of the Arcanist during the Second Age Beginning of the Battle (Song and Dance) * A piece that focuses on the Gladekeeper and the Plaugebringer and their enmity The Breaking of the Pillar (Song and Dance) * Historical pieces detailing the attack of the shade and the breaking of the Pillar of the World The Ages: First, Second, Third (Songs) * Long sets of songs telling the history of the three ages Solar Winds (Songs) * A romantic set of songs about an Arcane dragon and her love, a Wind dragon. Songs of R'lyeh * Songs that tell the story of the clan Ceremonial Songs and Dances Honorem Deorum: Honor the Gods * A dance honoring all of the 11 deities Dracquiae: Dragon’s Funeral * A solemn song sung when a dragon has passed Gloriam Arcanist: Glory to a deity. * This song and dance is performed at the beginning and end of a festival and honors a specific god. Funerals Funerals are a thankfully rare occurrence within the clan The Anixum The anixum is a flat, circular stone created from the cremated body and possessions of a deceased dragon. If for some reason the body cannot be cremated then only treasured belongings (and perhaps old scales or teeth) will be used to make the anixum. On this stone several things are engraved: the dragon's name, the arcane symbol, the symbol of that dragon's element (if they are not arcane), their job symbol, and the clan symbol. The anixum is prepared and carved by Cynothoglys. The Ceremony The funeral does not take place until all living dragons of the clan have returned to the lair. At that point they gather at clan's graveyard (the Thuramor) and Aylith places the anixum at the top of a pillar and seals it in place. Those that knew the dead dragon are then giving the chance to speak and share their memories of the deceased. Next Dythalla asks the Arcanist to bless the departed dragon and if that dragon was not Arcane, then the Ambassador of their birth flight asks the corresponding deity for a blessing. Starting from the end of the final blessing, those closest to the fallen dragon will not speak for 5 days, mirroring the 5 days it takes for an egg to hatch. If the 5 days of silence are broken, it is seen as an insult to the deceased and that dragon will fast for the remaining days and is expected to spend a significant amount of time praying at the shrines. Hatchlings are encouraged to try the 5 days of silence if they knew the deceased, but there is no penalty for if (when) they break it. They are, after all, babies. The pillar is made to resemble The Pillar of the World. It is correspondingly believed that if the clan is ever threatened by calamity, that the stones will break and the spirits of dead will lend their aid. It is called the Pillar of the Dead. Name Passing (WIP) Names are slightly unusual in this clan. While only one dragon at a time will have a name, that dragon might not be the first dragon to have that name. For example, a dragon might one day decide to be exalted. If they were a Titled dragon then it is traditional to find a replacement dragon, typically a hatchling, that will be taught their role before the older dragon leaves. When this happens, the prefix 'Prae' is added to the leaving dragons name and the new dragon takes the old name. If they were a non-titled dragon then the same naming convention is followed, the dragon is just not expected to find their replacement and will likely never meet the next carrier of their name. * For example: Nyarlathotep replaced Praenyarlathotep, who was Nyarlathotep and Light Ambassador before him. Praenyarlathotep found Nyarlathotep and brought him to the clan when he was Nyarlathotep and Nyarlathotep was Unnamed. Lythalia (the Hatchling Caretaker) replaced Praelythalia, who was untitled. Praelythalia was named Lythalia even after she was exalted since Lythalia did not join the clan until weeks later. Her name was not changed until Lythalia joined the clan. If the chain is longer than two dragons then the first bearer of the name would the Prae of their name changed to Priun. * For example: The first Istasha is now Priunistasha, the Istasha after her is Praeistasha, and the current Istasha is simply Istasha. Exalting (WIP) Exalting is considered an honor and works on a volunteer basis, there is a small ceremony to send off exaltees but it's honestly not a huge deal. It's basically seen as taking on a particularly honorable job that happens to take a dragon away from the clan. It is believed that exalted dragons serve the Arcanist in the sense that they assist with magical and scientific research. The clan can send messages to exalted dragons but generally do not, as an exalted dragon typically wishes to be freed to all connections and responsibilities. So in general the only messages to an exalted dragon are name change messages. Similarly, the only time the clan hears back about an exalted dragon is when they receive a death notice, so it's a case of "No news is good news." Category:Arcane Category:Mighty Lair